The Five questions: Mike Resnick

(Podéis leer la entrevista en castellano aquí)

American science fiction author and executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe. Winner of, among others, 4 Hugo Awards, 5 SF Chronicle Awards, 1 UPC and Nebula awards, 4 HOMer Awards, 2 Ignotus Awards and 1 Seiun Award. Also, he has got the Skylark Prize because of the work of a whole life. He has been nominated 16 times to Hugo Awards and 7 to Nebula Awards.

If you weren’t a writer, what kind of artist would you like to be?

I can’t imagine not being a writer. I certainly couldn’t be an artist; I’m blind in one eye and color-blind in the other. Let me answer it this way: if I wasn’t a fiction writer, I would like to write the libretto for musical plays.

How about your favourite song, book, band and writer?

My favorite song is probably “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks. My favorite book is The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis. I have no favorite modern band, as I loathe rock; so my favorite band, going back maybe 65 years or so, would be either Jimmy Dorsey’s or Xavier Cugat’s. My favorite writer, in all immodesty, is me.

Your hidden passion is…

I don’t have any hidden passions. My public passions are science fiction, Africa, horse racing, and gorgeous naked ladies.

Which is the most incredible place you have ever been?

The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania.

The main emotion you want to generate with your artwork.

When I write humor, I want to generate laughter. When I write anything else, I want the reader to empathise with my protagonist, to feel pain, or loss, or love, or fear, whatever my protagonist feels. If I can make the reader think, so much the better; but if I don’t make him feel, then I’ve failed in my job.

-- Mike Resnick